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Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Force Majeure (March 5th and 6th at the Cleveland Cinematheque. Also available on home video)

[FORCE MAJEURE
screens Thursday March 5th at 6:30 pm and Friday March 6th at 9:35 pm
at the Cleveland Cinematheque. Also available on home video.]

Review
by Bob Ignizio

We'd all probably like to think that,
in a time of crisis, we'd rise to the occasion and behave heroically.
But let's be honest. None of us really knows how we'd behave in a
sudden, dire situation until it happens. Which is why, uncomfortable
as it may be, we can relate to Tomas (Johannes Bah Kuhnke), the
protagonist of Ruben Östlund's FORCE MAJEURE.

Tomas
is on a ski vacation with his wife Ebba (Lisa Loven Kongsli), son
Harry (Vincent Wettergren) and daughter Vera (Clara Wettergren). The
family is all smiles as a resort photographer has them pose for
pictures, but that all changes when a controlled avalanche goes as
the family enjoys and outdoor meal. While Ebba's first instinct is to
protect her children, Tomas runs away without even glancing back.
Fortunately no one is hurt, but as you can imagine there's some
tension between husband and wife. Tomas' refusal to even admit what
happened only makes things worse.

At
one point in the film, Tomas' friend Mats (Kristofer Hivju) tries to
rationalize his actions, comparing Tomas' behavior to parents on a
plane that loses cabin pressure putting on their oxygen masks first
so they can help their children. It's fairly obvious neither he nor
anyone else really believes that, though. Having so utterly failed in
his role as protector of his family, is there any way Tomas can
possibly redeem himself?

Östlund
plays this situation for both laughs and discomfort, using it to dig
deep into idealized notions of masculinity and family. It's not
exactly what you'd call a laugh riot, but it does generate its share
of dark chuckles even as it asks us to ponder whether we would have
behaved any better than Tomas. 4 out of 4 stars.